The Maryland Province Jesuits and their lay colleagues are active in promoting the Ignatian mission in many ways throughout the region. In certain locales, specifically ones with larger concentrations of Jesuit and Ignatian institutions and groups, people have come together in developing new initiatives. Teachers, staffs and alumni of colleges and high schools, parishioners of Jesuit parishes, and members of Ignatian service organizations, among others, have joined together to address the needs of their particular communities. The Mission and Renewal Team supports these regional groups of Ignatian partners in their efforts. Examples include:

Baltimore's Ignatian Conversations. The Ignatian Conversations connect Jesuits and their lay partners across institutions to foster solidarity and ownership of the Ignatian mission in addressing issues facing the poor of Baltimore.

What began with 25 Jesuit and lay partners in the summer of 2001 has grown to include more than 100 men and women from almost every Ignatian and Jesuit work in the city of Baltimore. In December 2003, the Most Reverend Gordon Bennett, SJ, auxiliary bishop of Baltimore , asked the group to contemplate the pervasive racism and the deterioration of the family unit in Baltimore. Subsequent gatherings have led them to investigate the issues of un- and under employment, housing and race, and how they might marshal their personal and institutional resources to address them. For more information, contact: kobrien@mdsj.org.

Washington's Hunger for God Group. Lay and Jesuit Colleagues experienced in accompanying people on their spiritual journey have banded together to provide opportunities for people wishing to explore their faith through Ignatian spirituality. For more information, contact Carol Corgan at teach4j@aol.com or (301) 990-2645.

Wheeling's Hopeful City Project. Students, alumni, faculty and staff from Wheeling Jesuit University have joined with many others in this West Virginia community's project for economic revitalization. For more information, contact Dan Joyce, SJ at djoyce@wju.edu.

In Philadelphia, an emerging initiative is just getting off the ground with the goal of identifying and providing resources for young people of limited economic means in Philadelphia and Camden to achieve in high school and gain college admission. With St. Joseph 's University taking the lead, people from the local Jesuit schools and parishes are working together to develop a comprehensive system of support for the young scholars. For more information, contact George Bur, SJ at gbur@sju.edu.

The Colleagues of the Maryland Province (COMP) is a group of lay women and men with a desire to help further the Ignatian mission in the Maryland Province . They are active in many of the above projects as well as others around the province. Click here for more information about COMP or contact Carol Corgan at ccorgan@gonzaga.edu or Debbe Cotter at dcotter@blakefield.loyola.edu.

The Magis Project, established in 2001 for lay colleagues of the Maryland Province, offers participants a two-year formative and systematic experience of Ignatian apostolic life. Magis provides participants with a broad introduction and deeper insight into what characterizes a commitment to a Jesuit apostolate. For more information, contact kobrien@mdsj.org.